Bottle cooler



Nov- 7, 1950 H. w. WHITMORE 2,529 43 BOTTLE COOLER Filed June 28, 1948 5Sheets-Sheet 1 2 3 J J l l J E v JNVENTOR. HARLAND W. WH ITMORE WWWATTORNEYS 1950 H. w. WHITMORE 2,529,439

BOTTLE COOLER Filed e 9 8 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-2.

HARLAND W'WHITMORE ATTORN EY S Nov. 7, 1950 v H. w. WHITMORE 2,529,439

BOTTLE COOLER Filed June 28, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 l K K K INVENTOR.

HARLANDW.WHITMORE ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 7, 1950 BOTTLE COOLER HarlandW. Whitmore, Kenosha, Wis., assignor to Motor Products Corporation,Detroit, Mich., a corporation of New York Application-June 28, 1948,SeriaLNo. 35,598 I 10 Claims. (01. 62-102 Ihe invention relates toapparatus for the cooling of bottles and has. for its object theobtaining of a construction in which the cooled bottles are readilyaccessible and easil removable from the cooler.

It is a further object to-obtain a, construction in which separateportions of the container are used; respectively, for the cooling ofbottles after loading and for the storage of the cooled bottles fordispensing.

It is a further object to provide means for circulating the air withinthe cooling chamber to maintain a substantially uniform temperature indifferent portions thereof and for more rapidly absorbing heat from thebottles when first loaded.

It is a further object to provide means for the storage of the bottlesin a plurality of tiers and for providing ready access to the lower aswell as to the upper tiers.

With these and other advantageous features in view the inventionconsists in the construction as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical central section partly in elevation through myimproved cooler;

Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in horizontal section substantially on line2--2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section corresponding to a portion of Fig. 1showing one of the shelves in raised position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section illustrating the support forthe stationary shelf section and the pivotal connectiOn for the hingedshelf sections;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing the elements of Fi 4 and Fig. 5;and

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through a portion of the base section.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the blower.

While the instant invention relates more particularl to certain featuresof the cooler as above set forth, I shall briefly describe the completeapparatus. Generally the apparatus comprises a base section A whichcontains all of the mechanism, and a cabinet section B supported on thebase section. The base section includes a base ring C of anglecross-section having a platform extending diametrically thereacross onwhich are mounted the motor, compressor, condenser and other elements ofthe perating mechanism. Rising from the ring C are posts C which, asshown, are of channel cross section having flanges C extending laterallyfrom opposite sides and secured to the ring. At its upper end each posthas a laterally inwardly extending portion C formed from the web of thechannel, the sides being cut away to form a mitre joint as indicated atC Surrounding the posts, with the exception of the portion at the rearend of the platform, are' ring 2. sections C which are so fashioned asto form louvers for the free admission'of air-and attlie same timeconcealing the mechanism. These louver rings are attached to a pluralityof bars 0' secured to and rising from the base ring C. The

base ring'is also provided with a pluralityof feet C spaced therearoundand raising the ring casing and resting upon the bottom Dis a thermalinsulating slab E. F is an inner cylindrical casing seated uponthe pad Eand havingits cylindricali wall concentric with andspaced from the wallofthe outer casing D. The casing F has helically wrapped thereabout atube G forming the evaporator, which tube is preferably soldered orotherwise held in heat conducting contact with a wall of said casing F.The lower end of this helical tube is connected with an accumulator Gwhich extends vertically adjacent to the wall of the casing F and-theupper end of the accumulator is connected to a suction tube G which isreturn bent to extend downward into the base 7 section through a sealinggrummet D in the bottom Dof the outer casing. The upper end'of thehelical tube G is connected to a cipallary tube G which is wound aroundthe suction tube G and preferably soldered thereto, its lower endportion passingthrough the grummet D and being connected to the outletfluid conduit H from the condenser H. The space between the concentricwalls of the inner casing F and outer casing D is filled withthermo-insulating material E which extends up to near the top. Beads Fand G form ledges on which is supported an annular thermo-insulatorslab'E which is just below the top of said casings and is sealed theretoby mastic The top of the inner casing F is closed by a pair of lids I,which are mounted in a ring structure J. The latter has a dependingflange J secured to the upper end portion of the casing D. There is alsoa ring section J preferably formed of rubber, which overlaps the casingF and is of angle cross-section with its horizontal flange centrallysplit part way therethroughto receive a. flange J 3 of a metallic ring J4 which lines the rubber ring J Thus the rubber ring J formsthermalinsulation between the casing F and the ring J. The upper face Jof the ring J formsa resilient seat for the lids I. These lids are ofsemicircularform and their inner straight edges are connected-by ahingemember I which at its oppositeends is pivotally supported on upwardlyextendin bracket members I secured to the ring J on diametricallyopposite sides thereof. The arrangement is such that either or both ofthe the inner casingF.

The height of the inner casing F is suificient to receive a plurality oftiers of bottles and as shown there are two tiers. The upper tier issupported by hinged shelf sections K which also are substantiallysemi-cylindrical but with a narrow stationary shelf section Ktherebetween'. Theshelf K is supported upon brackets K secured to thecasing F, which brackets have a segmental flange K fitting the casing, ahorizontal flange K an inner vertical flange K and a horizontal flange Ktogether forming a substantiall .Z -:shaped cross-section. The shelf Kis directly attached to the flange K The pivot pins K of the shelves Kengage bearings in'the flange K and clip members K serve to hold thepivots normally in engagement with said bearings.

. The shelf K is centrally cut away for the passage of a blower casingmember L, which latter is rigidly secured to and supported by said shelfmember. A rotary fan 1.. is arranged within the casing L and is drivenby a motor mounted on the casing so as to withdraw air from the spacebelow the shelves and discharge it upward. A stack member L extendsabove the shelf K and has at its upper end a cap member L which defleetsthe blown air laterally, or toward the surrounding wall of the casing F,and also in a downwardly direction. The conductor cable L for the fanmotor extends therefrom to pass downward through sealing grummets L andL which are in alignment with each other, respectively, in the bottom ofthe inner casing F and bottom D of the outer casing. This cable is thenconnected preferably in multiple with the motor for the compresser sothat, as hereinafter explained, both motors will operate at the "sametime or remain stationary.

With the construction as above described the bottles to be cooled may bestored within the easing F, one tier directly resting'upon the bottom ofsaid casing and a second tier resting upon the shelves K and K. As boththe shelves K and lids I are semi-circulanone lid section and one shelfsection can be turned up into vertical position for the loading ofone-half of the bottom tier and after return of the shelf section forloading the corresponding half of the upper tier. The other half of thecasing may be loaded at a dif- 'ferent time and thus one-half maycontain cooled bottlesg'while in the other half the bottles are beingcooled. For this reason there are always cool bottles for dispensing.When the motor for the refrigerating apparatus in the base compartmentis in operation the cylindrical wall of the inner casing F will becooled to some predetermined low temperature by control means which isnot a part of the instant invention. This, however, would notsufficiently cool all of the stored bottles and, therefore, the airwithin the casing is circulated. The direction of the current is firstinto the casing L centrally thereof, then upward through the stack L andlaterally radially outward and inclining downward by the deflection ofthe cap L towards the cooled wall of the casing. This downwardinclination of the air current is important as it avoids any tendency toblow the cold air out of the top of the casing when thejlid is open; Theshelves K aremer f orated for the free circulation of air therethrough,as well as through the annular space surrounding the periphery of theshelves. The lids I are, however, substantially air tight so that thereis only internal circulation of the air. The bottles will besufiiciently spaced for passage of air therebetweenso that thetemperature of air surrounding all of the bottles is substantially thesame. It is desirable that the temperature within the casing shouldnever drop low enough to freeze the content of the bottles or, on theother hand, to rise above a predetermined point. This may beaccomplished by control means not a part of the instant invention, athermostatic element M within the stack being effective to de-energizethe motors at a predetermined minimum temperature of the air within thestack, while another thermostatic element such as a bulb M adjacent tothe cooled wall of the casing F is effective to energize the motors at apredetermined maximum temperature of said wall. This minimum temperatureis something above the freezing point of water so that the wall will beautomatically defrosted during the portion of each cycle in which themotors are not in operation. The condensation is drained out from thecasin through a conduit :N, which extends downward arough the bottoms ofboth inner and outer casings to a point outside of the louvers where itis provided with a removable cap N".

When bottles are introduced into or removed from the cabinet one of theclosed lids may be raised to upright position, and if access to thelower tier is required the corresponding semicircular shelf can be alsoraised. The hinge axis of said shelf is out beyond the radiusof saidstack but not beyond that of said cap. Therefore, the shelf is providedwith an aperture to receivethe projecting portion of the cap so that theshelf will rest against said stack in stable upright position.

Where the cooler is used for the retail dispensing of the contents ofthe bottles, there is preferably provided an auxiliary casing O attached to the front wall of the casing D and having near its upper endan opening for access to a bottle cap remover. The caps thus removedwill drop down within the casing 0 into a removable container O at thelower end of said casing. This may be withdrawn and emptied "from timeto time.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a refrigerator a top opening cylindrical cabinet, a plurality ofshelves together extending across substantially the entire area of anddividing the space within said cabinet into upper and lower storagecompartments, said shelves including a narrow central stationary shelfextending diametrically across the cabinet, and a pair of substantiallysemi-circular shelves on opposite sides of said stationary shelf adaptedto swing upward to a position above and over the latter within the spaceof the upper compartment.

In a refrigerator a top opening cylindrical cabinet, a plurality ofshelves for dividing the space within said cabinet into upper and lowerstorage chambers and including a narrow central stationary shelf andsubstantially semi-circular shelves on opposite sides thereof mounted tobe movable from horizontal to upright positions, and air circulatingmeans mounted on said stationary shelf to depend therefrom into thelower com partment.

stationary shelf and substantially semi-circular shelves on oppositesides thereof mounted to be movable from horizontal to uprightpositions, and

a blower mounted on said stationary shelf to depend therefrom into thelower chamber said blower having a stack extending centrally upward intothe upper compartment and a deflector for directing the air from saidstack radially outward.

4. In a refrigerator a top opening cylindrical cabinet having inner andouter casings and thermal insulating means therebetween, refrigeratingmeans for the cylindrical wall of the inner casing surrounding thestorage pace therewithin, a plurality of shelves dividing the spacewithin said cabinet into upper and lower storage compartments includinga narrow central stationary shelf extending diametrically across thecabinet and a pair of substantially semi-circular hinged shelves onopposite sides of said stationary shelf movable from horizontal toupright positions, all of said shelves being spaced from the surroundingwall of the inner casing to form an unobstructed passage for downwardmovement of cooled air adjacent to said wall, and a central stack forupward movement of air.

5. In refrigerator a top opening cylindrical cabinet having inner andoute casings and thermal insulating means therebetween, refrigcratingmeans for the cylindrical wall of the inner casing surrounding thestorage space therewithin, a plurality of shelves dividing the spacewithin said cabinet into upper and lower storage com- I partmentsincluding a narrow central stationary shelf extending diametricallyacross the cabinet and a pair of substantially semi-circular hingedshelves on opposite sides of said stationary shelf movable fromhorizontal to upright positions, all of said shelves being spaced fromthe surrounding wall of the inner casing to form an unobstructed passagefor downward movement of cooled air adjacent to said Wall, an aircirculating means for directing air upward at the center of the chamberand thence radially outward towards the side wall.

6. In a refrigerator a top opening cylindrical cabinet having inner andouter casings and thermal insulatin means therebetween, refrigeratingmeans for the cylindrical wall of the inner casing surrounding thestorage space therewithin, a plurality of shelves dividing the spacewithin said cabinet into upper and lower storage compartments includinga narrow central stationary shelf extending diametrically across thecabinet and a pair of substantially semi-circular hinged shelves onopposite sides of said stationary shelf movable from horizontal toupright positions, all of said shelves being spaced from the surroundingwall of the inner casing to form an unobstructed passage for downwardmovement of cooled air adjacent to said wall, a blower mounted on saidstationary shelf to depend therefrom into the lower compartment, a stackextending upward from said blower into the upper compartment, and adeflector for directin the air from said stack radially outward.

7. In a refrigerator a top opening cylindrical cabinet having inner andouter casings and thermal insulating means therebetween, refrigeratingmeans for the cylindrical wall of the inner casing surrounding thestorage space therewithin, a plurality of shelves dividing the spacewithin said cabinet into upper and lower storage compartments includinga narrow central stationary shelf extending diametrically across thecabinet and a pair of substantially semi-circular hinged shelves onopposite sides of said stationary shelf movable from horizontal toupright positions, all of said shelves being spaced from the surroundingwall of the inner casing to form an unobstructed passage for downwardmovement of cooled air adjacent to said wall, a blower mounted on saidstationary shelf to depend therefrom into the lower compartment, a stackextending upward from said blower into the upper compartment, adeflector for directing the air from said stack radially outward, and atop closure for said cabinet having hinged semi-circular sections insubstantial registration with the corresponding sections of said shelf.

8. In a refrigerator a top opening cylindrical cabinet, a plurality ofshelves for dividing the space within said cabinet into upper and lowerstorage chambers and including a central stationary shelf andsubstantially semi-circular shelves on opposite sides thereof mounted tobe movable from horizontal to upright positions, a blower mounted onsaid stationary shelf to depend therefrom into the lower chamber, astack extending upward from said blower through said stationary shelfbeing of a diameter less than the width of the latter, and a cap at theupper end of said stack of greater diameter for deflecting the upwardair current radially, each of said semi-circular shelves being aperturedto clear said cap and to rest against said stack in stable uprightposition.

9. In a refrigerator, a top opening cylindrical cabinet, a movable lidfor opening and closing said cabinet, means for refrigerating the innercylindrical wall of the cabinet surrounding the storage spacetherewithin and means for circulating air within the cabinet includingmeans for directing an air current centrally upward, and means fordeflecting said upward current radially outward in a downwardly inclineddirection against the refrigerated wall and into the down currentcreated by said Wall in the air adjacent thereto, thereby avoidingblowing cold air out of the cabinet when the lid is open.

10. In a refrigerator, a top opening cylindrical cabinet, a lid foropening and closing said cabinet, means for refrigerating the innercylindrical wall of said cabinet surrounding the storage spacetherewithin, a blower within said cabinet having a central upwardlyextending stack, and a conical cap above the upper end of said stack fordirecting the air radially outward in a downwardly inclined directionagainst the refrigerated wall of the cabinet into the down currentcreated thereby to cool said air and to drop it downward therebyavoiding blowing cold air out of the cabinet when the lid is open.

HARLAND W. WHITMORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,204,804 I-Ieintzen June 18,1940 2,341,962 Tanner Feb. 15, 1944 2,387,622 Tanner Oct. 23, 19452,414,061 Richard Jan. 7, 1947 2,442,882 Tull June 8, 1949 2,463,104Hender Mar. 1, 1949 2,480,763 Poltier Aug. 30, 1949

